Thanks John, it was a real fun but technical project to restore back to operating condition but a real crowd favorite over the weekend! Attached are some pics from when it was in service, circa 1930's, in the Calgary Alyth Yards, and in service now. Going to re-deck and restore a 1918 flatcar this winter , then install the boom idler assembly on it next spring.

This seemed as good a place to ask this as any. I think about 1981, when I was a pre-teen, we visited Owatonna, MN. I checked the location because I remember seeing IC RR 201 on display. Part of my memory says Springfield, Illinois, which of course is somewhere else entirely.

Anyway, the memory that really sticks with me, is standing by the station, and seeing a self powered steam crane, in steam. It was there for a little bit, and we said hello to the crew, and then we watched it move away, all by itself.

Hey Steven ,The IC 201 Rogers built 1880 2-4-4T is now at the Illinois railway museum .As for the crane you saw in southern Illinois , it may have been Illinois Central's non-rotating cab steam pile driver which was around surprisingly quite late . I was shown pictures of it working on a bridge by a group of guys that wanted IRM to try and acquire it, which didn't happen . It ended up being saved by the Monticello Railway Museum in southern Illinois. It didn't have a very long boom which was on one end of the car body but could still either drive piles with it's steam hammer and/or set caps and stringers on a bridge like a normal crane. The boom could only swing 90 degrees to either side of the track . Of course I'm only guessing that's what you saw. I don't know the year Monticello acquired it. I think it was home built by the IC in the 1920s. Google "IC Pile Driver" for a picture.Cheers.

This photo was taken on Sunday night after our Railway Days on Sept 23/24, and represents almost 10 years of labour from a group of dedicated Volunteer's and Professionals who worked to restore, repair and operate this very rare collection of steam equipment. In the background is loco 2023 (ex USRA 4012) which was pulled from service last August with leaking firebox knuckles. Over the winter it was repaired, hot riveted new inner sheets to the mud ring, new refractory ground done , primed, painted and hand lettered for this years operating season. Next is our 1912 Waterous steam roller, completely rebuilt to factory condition and the only operating one in Canada. Next to it is our Bucyrus steam crane and our 1916 -65 hp Case tractor, which was the only piece that didn't receive any work this past year. Missing is loco 2024, (ex USRA 4076) which developed 4 cracked stay bolts 3 weeks before our annual Railway Days event. It was repaired, hydro tested and put back into service Friday afternoon before the show started. It is sitting on the main line, just out of sight to the left.

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